Eight candidates vying for Gallegos' District 6 seat

Updated 11:46 am, Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Susan Delgado, a former stripper, is running for Sen. Mario Gallegos' seat.

Susan Delgado, a former stripper, is running for Sen. Mario Gallegos' seat.

Photo: Kevin Fujii, Staff Photographer

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CAROL ALVARADO
The former Houston City Council member has represented Texas House District 145 since 2008, and says her experience would give her an edge in the Senate.

CAROL ALVARADO
The former Houston City Council member has represented Texas House District 145 since 2008, and says her experience would give her an edge in the Senate.

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff

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Sylvia Garcia poses for photo Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. She is a candidate for the Texas State Senate District 6 seat formerly held by the late Sen. Mario Gallegos. (Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

Sylvia Garcia poses for photo Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. She is a candidate for the Texas State Senate District 6 seat formerly held by the late Sen. Mario Gallegos. (Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff

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Joaquin Martinez poses for photo Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. He is a candidate for the Texas State Senate District 6 seat formerly held by the late Sen. Mario Gallegos. (Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

Joaquin Martinez poses for photo Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. He is a candidate for the Texas State Senate District 6 seat formerly held by the late Sen. Mario Gallegos. (Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff

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Maria Selva poses for photo Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. She is a candidate for the Texas State Senate District 6 seat formerly held by the late Sen. Mario Gallegos. (Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

Maria Selva poses for photo Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. She is a candidate for the Texas State Senate District 6 seat formerly held by the late Sen. Mario Gallegos. (Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff

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Dorothy Olmos poses for photo Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. She is a candidate for the Texas State Senate District 6 seat formerly held by the late Sen. Mario Gallegos. (Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

Dorothy Olmos poses for photo Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. She is a candidate for the Texas State Senate District 6 seat formerly held by the late Sen. Mario Gallegos. (Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff

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Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes poses for photo Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. He is a candidate for the Texas State Senate District 6 seat formerly held by the late Sen. Mario Gallegos. (Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes poses for photo Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. He is a candidate for the Texas State Senate District 6 seat formerly held by the late Sen. Mario Gallegos. (Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff

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R.W. Bray poses for photo Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. He is a candidate for the Texas State Senate District 6 seat formerly held by the late Sen. Mario Gallegos. (Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

R.W. Bray poses for photo Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. He is a candidate for the Texas State Senate District 6 seat formerly held by the late Sen. Mario Gallegos. (Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff

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Eight candidates vying for Gallegos' District 6 seat

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While most Texans have been happy to leave campaigning and elections behind, at least for a little while, residents of state Senate District 6 are set to go to the polls at least once more in the coming weeks.

The special election to succeed state Sen. Mario Gallegos, who was posthumously elected on Nov. 6, is scheduled for Jan. 26. Early voting begins Wednesday.

With eight candidates in the race in an overwhelmingly Democratic district that includes Houston's East End, the race is likely to come down to a battle between two prominent Democrats, state Rep. Carol Alvarado, whose House district overlaps much of the Senate district, and former Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia.

If a runoff is needed - and with so many candidates, one is likely - it will be held between Feb. 23 and March 9, with Gov. Rick Perry scheduling the exact date.

Both Garcia and Alvarado are seasoned politicians with ample war chests and high name recognition within the district. The remaining six candidates have little to no experience in public office and scant name recognition.

The race features "a modest activist-versus-establishment dynamic, with activists leaning toward Garcia and the establishment toward Alvarado," said Rice University political scientist Mark Jones. "The pattern is not, however, clear-cut, with many establishment Democrats supporting Garcia and many activists backing Alvarado."

They hold similar positions on most issues, although Alvarado cites her two terms in the Texas House as experience that will make her a more effective senator.

"Education will be the key issue, with health care a close second," said Alvarado, elected last fall to her third term in the Texas House. She opposes education vouchers and, if elected, would work to increase funding for vocational education. Lawmakers cut $5.4 billion from public education during the last legislative session.

Garcia, the former president of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, said she had dealt with the legislature on numerous occasions as a county official. She also pointed out that she represented more than 75 percent of the district as county commissioner.

"We all know there are a lot of challenges in state government, particularly with our budget," Garcia said recently. "We also know that there's ways to make things work, to make sure that we restore the cuts to education, to make sure we provide access to affordable health care and that our kids have access to good, quality schools."

More Information

The candidates seeking the District 6 Senate seat held by the late Mario Gallegos:

Carol Alvarado, 45, Democrat and former member of the Houston City Council, was elected to the Texas Legislature in 2010.

R.W. Bray, 37, arrived in Houston from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Republican Bray, who got 29 percent of the vote in the November election, is a former staff member for City Councilwoman Helena Brown.

Susan Delgado, 43, ran as a write-in candidate against Gallegos in 2004, after he was forced to reveal an affair with the former stripper. She also ran against him in 2008 as a Libertarian. She is running this time as a Democrat.

Sylvia Garcia, 66, and a Democrat, served as Harris county commissioner, Precinct 2, from 2002 to 2010, when she lost to Jack Morman, a political unknown at the time. Before that, she was Houston city controller for three terms.

Joaquin Martinez, 32, Democrat and lifelong East End resident who has worked for the non-profit Neighborhood Centers and on the staff of former City Councilman John Castillo. This is his first run for elective office.

Dorothy M. Olmos, 54, a Republican, ran unsuccessfully for the State Board of Education in 2012. She is a former teacher and cosmetologist.

Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes, 60, a Democrat, was elected to the League City Council in 1994 and was the city's first Hispanic mayor pro tem. His consulting business advises companies entering the federal government market.

Maria Selva, 52, the Green Party candidate, ran for Congress in 2012 against U.S. Rep. Gene Green. She got 4.8 percent of the vote.

She also said she would "go toe to toe" with state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, who promises to make vouchers and school choice a major issue this legislative session.

Among the state's 31 senate districts, this predominantly Hispanic district ranks last in the number of registered voters (284,000) and in 2012 voter turnout (138,000). Jones estimates that fewer than 1 in 10 registered voters and 1 in 25 district residents will cast a ballot.

Meanwhile, the district's approximately 813,000 residents will be without representation in the state Senate until the latter half of March, when the newly elected senator will be sworn in.